Fairbanks scored second place in Lonely Planet's top 10 U.S. travel destinations for 2013.
But there's a catch -- while many travelers head to Fairbanks to soak in sunshine during endless summer days, the travel guidebook publishers recommend heading to the Golden Heart city during the autumn and winter months. In winter, the daylight has dimmed enough to let visitors witness the aurora dancing across the atmosphere, but temperatures usually plummet well below zero.
But forget about that part. Lonely Planet writes: "The sensation of seeing Arctic skies crackle with smoky blues, greens and reds has long drawn off-season travelers way north. 2013 will be big, marking the end of a fiery 11-year-cycle, when sunspots are particularly feisty, making for a big show in the Fairbanks sky 240 nights a year. Go."
"Fairbanks has been an aurora destination for decades," Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Luke Hopkins told Anchorage television station KTUU. "Our clear, dark nights and global position under the so-called 'Aurora Oval' make this one of the best places on earth to see the aurora borealis."
The locale that took first place on Lonely Planet's list? Louisville, Kentucky, a "lively, offbeat cultural mecca on the Ohio River."
Check out Lonely Planet's entire list.